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TIME TO LEARN-TIME WILL REVEAL PART ONE
As the sun dawns on another day, all is still quiet in the house. The crew are still resting while outside the birds begin to sing. It's another beautiful day in Cleveland Ohio. Pearl opens her eyes and looks to the ceiling and thanks GOD for another day of life. Today is Monday July Third, the first day of her long awaited vacation. She makes her way into the bathroom to prepare for her morning routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face and whatever she needs to do to help her prepare for her day.
She brushes her silky hair away from her face, as she gazes into the mirror,reflecting on the life she and her husband John are managing for their 4 children. The news both she and her sister Brenda received from their mother in Houston, causes her eyes to well-up with tears. “What’s the matter mama?” a voice from behind her ask. She turns to see her only daughter Ebony standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a look of concern on her face.
“Oh nothing baby girl. It’s just nerves. Mama’s fine,” Pearl replies with a smile. The smile Big John always said could light up a room.
Emotionally,she is far from fine. Just 3 days ago she learned that her mother in Texas had been diagnosed with breast cancer and has to start treatments very soon.
The family talked things over with Big John,on the phone. It was decided someone had to be there with her. Pearl knew it would be impossible for her to go to Houston to stay because of her job at the hospital, her home and her children. It was decided that Ebony would go and stay until the treatments were done. Big Mama insisted it be a female and Ebony is her oldest granddaughter. This is one of the toughest decisions of Pearl’s seasoned life and one of the hardest to digest. Ebony has been told of the trip. Though she doesn’t want to leave her friends and family, she wants to be there for Big Mama. Besides, her Big Mama really needs her there. Her Big Mama is the 1 person she credits with teaching her the most about being a little lady. She’s been teaching Ebony how to get a husband since she turned 6 years old.“Is Big Mama doing worse?” Ebony ask.“No baby,” Pearl answers softly, “There’s been no change. I’m just worried about having to send my baby girl away from home.”Ebony is the 3d of Pearl and John’s 4 children and their only girl. She’s 13, five years older than the baby boy Jesse, who is 8. Their oldest, Jb also known as John Jr,is 15 and set to start his junior year at MLK high school in the fall. The 2nd child, Jeremy better known as Tank is 14 and only 11 months older than Ebony. Both of them were born in 1975. Tank was born on the 25th of January and Ebony was born on Christmas day. They always tell people who don’t know any better that they were twins. That’s because they’re the same age for 1 whole month each year. The 2 of them are extremely close so of course if Ebony has to go to Houston, Tank is planning to roll too.“Go and get your brothers up baby,” Pearl says to Ebony, “I’ll be finished in here in a minute.” “Yes ma’am,” Ebony says. “I’m already up,” Tank say as he stammers into the bathroom rubbing his eyes and stretching. “Son don’t you know better than to walk into a bathroom with ladies in it?” Pearl ask with a frown on her face. “Oops, sorry ma,” he says. He looks down now as he backs out of the bathroom. He’s still half asleep.
“Do you want me to go and get Jb and lil man up for you?” He ask from just inside Pearl’s bedroom door where he now stands.“Yes please,” Pearl answers him with a smile. He can’t see his mother but he can hear that she's smiling. He's content to know she isn’t angry with him over his ill mannered interruption.
“Okay,” He say as he goes back towards his room. “Oh Mama!” He yells from the hallway. “Yes dear, what is it?” “Ajay and June spent the night!” “Okay sweetheart, get them up too. Y'all get ready for breakfast,” she say as she dries her hands, “Baby girl the bathroom is all yours. Don’t you camp out in here okay? The boys have company so you make sure you dress completely before you come out. Hurry up so you can help me in the kitchen.” Ebony says, “okay” smiles and closes the door after her mother leaves.
Ebony uses the bathroom in her mother and father’s room. She has 3 brothers who use the main bathroom in the hallway. She hates how they leave the seat up. With 3 of them and 1 of her, she's in the minority so she always had to put the seat back up when she's done. After she started her menstruation period 4 months ago, she insisted and everyone agreed her and Pearl should share the master bathroom,where Pearl keeps their personal products. The boys were seriously conflicted with having those types of products in the bathroom they used anyway and once again, Ebony was the minority. But in the master bathroom her and Pearl are the majority. Eventually John, who's away most of the time anyway, starts using the hallway bathroom with his sons whenever he's home. This is the best fit for all involved. Only Ebony still has to help her mother clean the bathroom in the hallway. She still doesn’t like that part but that isn’t up for compromising. Big June and Anthony stay at their house often. Or Jb and Tank stays with them. They all attend school together and are very close. But last night’s sleepover was different. Anthony or Ajay as he is commonly known had stayed the night indeed. Only this time he had slept in Ebony’s Room the entire night. He’d only gone back to the boys room an hour ago. It wasn’t unusual for him to come into her room. He's her boyfriend and has been for 3 years but their parents don’t know about them. When he comes to her room, they talk and other things. She likes the way he kisses her. He always touch her face so gently with one hand while his other hand explores her developing breast and body. Eventually he'd end up caressing her most private spot. He would roll his tongue around in her mouth and over her breast and nipples. It was him she thought, who was responsible for her breasts growing. This was what he always said when in fact it was just puberty and the adolescent changes a female’s body takes on leading up to the menstruation transformation into womanhood. She didn’t care for his fingers inside of her but he would always try it. As soon as he felt her squirms of discomfort he would remove it. She's an intelligent girl, just very naive when it comes to sex. Ajay is very experienced at his young age. Until just a few hours ago, Ebony had been a virgin with touch from Ajay only for the last 2 years. He has been sexually active since age 8. Learning she was leaving in 3 days made her eager to feel the real thing he was always talking to her about. He never pressured her for sex but it was her who knew 1 day they would go all the way and in her heart she knew Ajay was the only 1 for such an honor. He hadn’t tried to go all the way before. Though he's deep in the streets and known throughout their hood for his heartless ways he has always shown a certain respect and compassion for her. They had all grown up together. Him and Ebony use to fight and argue all the time when they were smaller. She would say, “I can't stand him”. Their parents figured eventually that would change and they would start to get along. Their families have been very close for 2 generations. Their oldest living generation had fled north prior to and during the civil rights movement in the south. All of their families are rich in history and have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. They are raising this generation to be no different. Ebony is struggling with how she will tell her mother about last night. She's afraid her mother will be disappointed in her. Before last night ever happened she'd wanted to tell Pearl they had kissed and touched. She had never found the courage to do so. She knows her mother will say she is too young for this sort of behavior without even hearing her out. But she has to find a way to tell her mother before she leaves for Houston. She has to tell her face to face. That's the way things are done in this family. She has only 3 days left in which to do so. 
